Advena
by phoenecks
Summary: Set in 1981, Bellatrix Black was on a quest for power, and didn't expect it to be interrupted. Especially by a muggle named Daniel, with his own past and baggage. Together they learn how to love, changing each other's lives and therefore changing the future of the Magical world. AU, OC and sort of OOC Bellatrix.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Advena**

**Author's Note: Hello! This is my first ever FanFiction, I've read a lot of them for a long time, and I'm on my summer holiday so I thought I'd write one. Bellatrix is my favourite character, even if she is slightly insane, however in this story I've changed her, she was never married to Rodolphus, which I think added to her complete and utter downward spiral, so her sanity is mostly intact, even if a few of her morals are questionable. I do plan for this to be a reasonably long story, with at least 10 chapters, maybe more if the story turns out to have an in depth plot. So, I hope you enjoy the story!  
****  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, and many of the names, settings etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Pureblood. The word that had been tattooed into her mind from the beginning, a word her family had insisted she learnt the meaning to. She had believed in the power and importance her blood held as a child, she had believed in her mother's utterances of "filthy mudbloods", and her father's frequent references to "the vermin, polluting our world". Of course, being a descendent of one of the purest wizarding families in Britain, she had known no different, and obediently trusted in the statements of her parents, and therefore expected everyone else to believe in the same thing. This was until she arrived at Hogwarts.

During her time at school, although being a faithful Slytherin and never fraternising with people that were not approved of by her family, she discovered another side to the Magical World that she had never encountered before. There were in fact wizards and witches who were not Purebloods, be that Half-blood, or even the Muggle-borns, who were just as powerful and could perform magic on the same scale as herself. This was the first time that she doubted the truth within her upbringing.

She understood the choice that her sister, Andromeda, made when she chose her husband, a Muggle named Ted Tonks, over her family. Although at the time, she was engulfed by anger, she was angry at her younger sister, for abandoning her, she was angry at her parents, for driving Andromeda away, and lastly she was angry with herself, due to the lack of control she had over the situation. Bellatrix Black loved to be in control, and with control came power. The factor of power is partly what drove her towards Lord Voldemort. Power had always been at the centrefold of her family, her father had demanded it, so as a result Bellatrix craved it, and wherever power appeared to be headed, she followed it, almost as if a loyal servant.

Her necessity for power is what drove her away from love. She disagreed with her parents in that sense, she would not be forced into a marriage, Bellatrix was no one's pet and would not be driven in a direction without her consent. If she married, it would be for love, it did exist of course, as her sister Andromeda had found it, and Bellatrix also believed that her youngest sister Narcissa loved her husband Lucius, even if he tended to be an aristocratic hypocrite at times. Since leaving Hogwarts, Bellatrix had made a silent agreement with herself that she would not let her quest for love get in the way of her passage for power, as to her that was the answer to happiness.

Bellatrix had maintained her loyalty to this agreement, until 16th May 1981, a date that should have solely marked another Muggle killing, not a day that changed her life forever. For that was the day, that Bella properly began her quest for love. That was the day, that Bellatrix met a Muggle, a Muggle that held the key to her quest. Bellatrix learnt that love could be found in the most unexpected of places.

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	2. Chapter 2 - The Beginning

Arriving at the small house on the outskirts of London, just as the sun set, Bellatrix mentally prepared herself for the act she was about to commit. Even though she had done this before, a small sense of guilt filled her, considering the life that she was going to take, her conscience reminding her that this person may have their own family, there were people who would miss and grieve for this small piece of her power puzzle. However, these consequences were soon dismissed from her mind, the rush of ecstasy she gained afterwards made it worth it, the fact that she was in control of the situation, commanding everything around her, it simply thrilled her. She contemplated how she would claim the life of her most recent victim, she liked to vary her method of killing, otherwise it became less fun and too repetative. Sometimes, a simple 'Avada Kedavra' was just not enough. She decided that she would torture her victim first, a mixture between repeated 'Crucio' curses, and the more orthodox method of torture, using a knife she always kept in her left shoe, a knife with a blade as sharp as they came, that almost appeared to glint brighter with more and more fear emitted from the victim. She would carve the word 'Muggle' into their arm, reminding them that they were inferior to wizards, putting them in their place, permanently marking them, her own type of Dark Mark.

Instead of apparating right outside the door, she chose to walk up to the house, as this created as little suspicion as possible, and Bellatrix also enjoyed how it prolonged the event that was about to take place. Walking up the dimly lit street, with the street lamps flickering due to the magic surrounding her interrupting the electricity circuits, she took in her surroundings for once. She could see into some of the windows of the small houses, and her eyes focused in onto a family of three daughters, all aged between 3 and 10, reminding Bellatrix of her own sisters and her childhood, forcing her into thinking about the two of them. She seemed quite sure of what Narcissa would be doing, playing the dutiful newlywed wife to Lucius, hanging off of his every word, looking at him with an expression full of adoration. Then, more reluctantly, she thought of Andromeda, who was leading a completely different life, having chosen love over family, and sadness began to fill her. She did not like to admit it, but she did miss her, as no matter what, she was still her sister, and had been a big part of her life for a long time. She had respect for both of her sisters, in some perspectives they were more mature than she was, they were both married women with responsibilities, responsibilities that Bellatrix did not have herself. At that moment, she felt lonely, realising how alone she was, and felt a longing to be loved for who she was, not what other people wanted her to be.

Quickly, after pulling herself together, she continued down the street and arrived at her desired destination. The house appeared dark, and to begin with Bellatrix assumed that her victim was not at home, prompting her to come up with a plan to hide in the house, and make a surprise attack when they arrived. However, possibly unfortunately, a light in the front room was turned on, almost startling her, as she had been caught up in her own thoughts and had not expected it. That was the first tim she saw him.

His name was Daniel, an intelligent yet somewhat ordinary Muggle. Highly attractive, with short, light brown hair, emerald green eyes, with a tall muscular frame, although not appearing like a body builder that picked a fight at any corner, he still looked very powerful. Still dressed in his work clothes, his tie slightly pulled down away from his collar, the top button on his shirt undone, he sank down onto the sofa and appeared to just sit there, staring into space, caught up in his own thoughts as well. This intrigued Bellatrix, every other time that she had attacked, the Muggle had been watching television, reading a book, talking on the phone, they had been doing something. But not Daniel, a man who was wearing an exasperated look on his face, appearing to be fed up with the world he was living in. Taking a seat on the bus shelter bench across the road, face hidden in the shadows, Bellatrix sat there and watched him.

They both stayed in their respective positions for at least half an hour, the man staring into space, the woman staring at him. All of a sudden, Bellatrix seemed to remember her reason for being there, and began to rise from her seated position, her face entering the light once more, preparing to approach the house. Until Daniel turned around and looked out of the window, straight in the direction of Bellatrix. Green eyes locked with dark brown. Emerald locked with onyx. And she ran, ran as fast as she could, heart beating quicker than ever before.

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	3. Chapter 3 - Aftermath

She kept running, through dark unknown alleyways, trying to get as far away from the house as possible, never stopping to draw breath. Once it became apparent that her oxygen level was becoming quite low, Bellatrix stopped, hunched over, breathing quick, short, desperate breaths, trying to regain her composure. Her eyes seemed to burn from where they had met the green, emerald eyes previously, her heart beating much faster than it should have been. "It was as if he saw into my soul." she thought, before reassuring herself that Muggles cannot do that, she wasn't even aware of many wizards who could do that. She wasn't sure why this man, a stranger, had affected her so much. She was not scared of him, Bellatrix was not afraid of anything, at least nothing that she would admit to, yet she had never felt like this before.

Bellatrix remained in her somewhat shocked state for a while, then apparated back to her current home, to what appeared like a small, basic flat on the outside, which had in fact been enlarged inside using various charms, but it was not a particularly desirable home. She, of course, lived alone, and she was the only one who had been inside the house, she didn't think that Narcissa would be particularly impressed with it, considering the home that they had grown up in and her current home were both substantially larger and much more extravagant, and for obvious reasons she couldn't invite Andromeda, nor did she have any overwhelming desire for anyone else to visit her. Although having been brought up with them, Bellatrix didn't have any particular want, or need, for house elves, due to the fact that she lived alone and there was not that much for a house elf to do, it would just be a waste time and responsibility. The house was decorated simply yet elegantly, the theme being dark colours, of course, but the different tones of colour complimented each other well, and Bellatrix felt content with it. It was not her dream home, and at times she felt lonely sat by herself, but it suited her for the time being, she would much rather live alone in her quaint flat than suffocate in the overwhelming Black mansion that had been her home as a child.

Laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, Bellatrix ran through the events of the night in her head. She felt ashamed that she had been caught, and hadn't even thought about obliviating the man, as now he knew that she existed, and had spied on him for some period of time. Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to picture the man in her head. "He was quite attractive." she thought, then she remembered what he was wearing, "I wonder what we works as, Muggle jobs must be different to ours." She continued her thoughts for a while after, soon falling asleep, exhausted from the day's events.

* * *

Daniel on the other hand, was not relaxed. Worried about the strange woman who had been watching him, he was on full alert. He was curious for many reasons, one being as to why the woman was looking at him, another as to why she ran away, and who she was. He had to admit that she was a beautiful woman, with long, dark, flowing curly hair, but what captivated him the most were her eyes. Dark pools of onyx, framed by heavy eyelids, adding an edge of curiosity and wonder around her, he wanted to know more about her. Her name, who she was, why she came to his house, why she ran away.

Staying up for as long as possible, making sure that if she came back, he would see her, he stayed awake for as long as possible, sitting on the sofa that faced the front window. Slowly, his eyes began to close, and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning as Bellatrix awoke, her head remained full of thoughts of the man from the night before, and she couldn't work out why every time she thought of his eyes, her stomach would fill with butterflies.

"Focus Bella," she said to herself, "You can't let this man affect you in such a way, it was a mistake, people make mistakes, forget about him."

But she couldn't. So, the following evening, Bellatrix returned to the same street, on the outskirts of London, to the same house, and sat on the bus stop shelter bench, waiting for the man to come into the front room again. Little did she realise, that the same man was sitting on the other end of the bench, waiting for the right moment to question her.

**Please review! The story has been viewed over 100 times, which makes me happy, but I'd really like to hear what you think of it!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Discovery

They remained at opposite ends of the seat, Bellatrix watching the house, Daniel watching Bellatrix. Finally, he turned to her and said,

"Why are you spying on me?"

Bellatrix, somewhat annoyed that this stupid Muggle had interrupted her with an inappropriate comment, turned to fire as many curses at him as possible, and then she realised who he was. Once again, her dark, onyx eyes connected with his bright, emerald ones, and she stared at him, disappointed with herself that she hadn't realised sooner that her 'victim' had caught her out. Quickly trying to come up with a reasonable excuse, she tilted her head to one side and replied,

"I was thinking about buying a house in the area but I wanted to make sure that I liked the neighbours, so I decided to do my own sort of, erm, research."

Seemingly not happy with this answer, and strongly feeling like his privacy had been violated, which was true, he retorted,

"But why be so sly about it? Surely you could have asked around, you must know someone locally? You didn't need to sit in the dark and stare, like some kind of stalker."

Bellatrix didn't really know where to start, how could she explain? She couldn't exactly say, "Well I'm not actually looking for a house, nor do I care about any kind of neighbours, my reason for coming here was to kill you, but as we can see that didn't happen, and as soon as I saw your face you made me feel something inside that I know nothing about, I don't know what it is, but I want to know, so I came back here to work it out. Happy?" Not able to come up with a decent response, she sat there, with her mouth open slightly, as if she was going to say something but no words seemed to appear, and looked at the floor.

* * *

Also sitting in the awkward silence, Daniel looked at the woman in front of him, analysing her. She was quite small, no taller than 5'5, and of a slim build, yet the aura around her suggested that she would be able to hold herself in a fight. The dark, curly hair that cascaded down her back and surrounded her face made her appear even smaller, and as the night became darker so did her eyes, the shadows highlighting her well defined cheekbones. He couldn't deny that she was a very visually striking woman, with distinctive features. This wasn't the only thing that made her different. Her attire was all in black, a black dress which fell to just above her knees, black heeled ankle boots, and a cloak. "Eccentric." he thought. The only things that didn't appear to be dark were her skin, a porcelain base of pure white, which further brought out the redness of her lips, whether they were naturally that shade of scarlet he couldn't tell, she looked like one of the dolls his younger sister used to own as a child. A drop of rain interrupted his thoughts, and one drop turned into a downpour. Realising that they were both getting wet, and not wanting to leave her out in the rain, even if he didn't really know her, he invited her into his house. It felt like the right thing to do.

* * *

Stepping into his home, Bellatrix observed her surroundings. Considering it was only lived in by one person, inside it was quite large and spacious, with few photos hanging on the walls, as if some had been taken down, leaving the others to appear in a random order. From what she could see, there appeared to be a black and white theme, very minimalistic and modern. She had never seen anything like it, every home she had been to, not including the houses of her previous victims, had belonged to Wizards, and were very traditionally furnished. It could be improved, but it was imperfectly perfect, if that made sense. Turning to her, he said,

"I never asked you, what's your name?"

"Bella," she replied quickly, Bella Black."

Mentally she scolded herself for giving her name away so easily, she didn't even do that with Wizards, let alone a Muggle that she had just met.

"What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?" she questioned.

"Daniel. Daniel Watson. You can leave your, er, coat on the hanger if you like, it should dry quickly."

She thanked him, and then followed the instruction she had been given. From what she knew about Muggles, his name didn't seem very unique, in fact it seemed pretty common, but it didn't matter, it wasn't like she was going to be spending much time with him in the future. At least that's what she thought at the time.

Unsure of what to do with herself, she stood in the hallway, until he showed her through to the front room, it seemed appropriate considering that's where they'd first seen each other, and she sat down on the black leather sofa, as Daniel left the room. She contemplated apparating away, her current scenario hadn't turned out how she expected it to, and she felt uncomfortable. However, he had been very kind to her, she knew that she definitely would have reacted differently if their roles had been reversed, a few 'Crucio' curses would have played a part, and she couldn't leave.

* * *

Daniel was in his kitchen, trying to decide whether Bella would drink tea or coffee, although she didn't seem like the kind of person who would drink those kind of drinks, he couldn't explain why though, and the only other drinks he had in the house were water, and red wine. Deciding he couldn't give her water, that was simple etiquette, he grabbed the bottle of red wine and two glasses and re-entered his living room. As he came through the door, she turned to him and smiled. It was the first time he'd seen her smile, and it made her even more beautiful. It made her face light up, and gave him butterflies. "Pull yourself together Dan!" he thought to himself, "You're a grown man, don't act like such an idiot!" He placed the bottle and glasses on the table, and sat down next to her.

* * *

As he came back into the room, she noticed that he walked with quite a purpose, each step was powerful in it's own right. He was much more relaxed in his own home, she could tell, and although he was still understandably apprehensive around her, he didn't seem as confrontational as before. "He is very attractive." she thought, "I'm surprised that he doesn't have a girlfriend." She looked around and there didn't appear to be any sign of a woman in his life, there were no flowers or drinks mats in the room, confirming her earlier opinion. This made her smile, although she wasn't sure why.

They talked for a long time, about many things, from family to childhood, she found out that he was a lawyer, and it became harder for Bellatrix to keep her secret of being a Witch as more and more wine drunk, and by the time the bottle was finished, she had just resorted to giggling as an answer. She was not a natural giggler, it had not been considered as an attractive attribute to her parents, but yet with Daniel she felt comfortable enough with him to release the laughter. Not the cruel cackle that had become more and more normal for her recently, but a girly giggle, it was as if she was a 15 year old teenager again. They began to sit closer and closer together, until their heads were barely apart. Just as Daniel had looked into her eyes, she had done the same to him, as if it had been scripted. Eyes drifted to their lips, and just when it looked as if the inevitable would happen, Bella shrunk back and stood up.

"It's late and I really should be going, thank you for everything, and it has been good to talk to someone like you." She scurried into the hall, grabbed her cloak, and opened the door, but before she could step out, he grabbed her hand.

"You can't just leave! At least give me your telephone number, so we could meet again?" he sighed, already knowing that the latter was unlikely. Unlikely but not impossible.

Pulling her hand free, slightly confused to what a 'telephone number' is, she stared into his eyes one last time, and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you." she breathed, and then she left, her silhouette blending into the darkness, until you couldn't see her anymore.

* * *

Laying on her bed later that night, staring at the ceiling yet again, she replayed the events of the evening again in her head, a faint smile visible on her face. She drifted off into a dream, giving her emotions a time to rest. That was the night that Bellatrix realised what she had been missing. That was the evening that she discovered love.

**Please review! The story has been viewed over 100 times, which makes me happy, but I'd really like to hear what you think of it!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Punishment

The next morning, Bellatrix was woken up with a burning sensation in her left forearm. _"Oh fantastic." _she thought, _"This is not what I need right now." _Sighing, she got up and dressed quickly, not wanting to annoy The Dark Lord more than she already had. Checking her appearance one last time in the mirror, and tucking a strand of dark hair under her hood, she left the house and apparated to Riddle Manor.

* * *

Arriving at the Headquarters, and showing her wand for identification, Bellatrix headed to the usual meeting room, knowing her way around the Manor well now. Entering the room, she noticed that there were no other Death Eaters present, it was just him.

"My Lord." said Bellatrix, bowing as she did so.

"Come here." commanded Voldemort, his voice not showing any emotion.

She did as he asked, and kneeled in front of him, kissing the hem of his robes. Not looking up without being told to, she remained in her crouched position, until Voldemort resumed conversation.

"I instructed you to kill a Muggle in London two nights ago, did I not?"

Cringing, Bellatrix replied "Yes, my Lord."

"And did you? Did you fulfil my task?"

"No my Lord, but - "

She never managed to finish her explanation, as she was thrown across the room by a forceful 'Crucio' curse, leaving her wriggling on the floor, her body jerking in places it should not naturally do so. She refused to scream, she would not allow anyone to hear her pain, not even The Dark Lord. It took all of her force to not cry out in agony, but she would not give him the satisfaction.

"I do not wish to hear your excuse Bellatrix. When I instruct you to do something, you do it, you do not question me. You will be punished for your defiance."

For the next hour, Bellatrix was held in various 'Cruciatus' curses, all as powerful and painful as Voldemort could muster, and then she was stripped of her clothes, discarded to the side, and subjected to various 'Diffindo' charms, cutting her arms, legs, and one particular deep gash on her stomach, one that was likely to scar and never fade, so she would be reminded of her mistake. Tears streamed from her eyes, but she still did not make a sound, not even a whimper, she did not want to be labelled as 'weak'.

Deciding the punishment was over, Voldemort left the room, billowing his robes as he left, leaving Bellatrix to sort herself out. With a shaking hand, she reached for her clothes, pulling them on whilst hissing with pain as fabric touched the fresh cuts all over her body. She rose to her feet unsteadily, and then made her way out of the manor, noticing the smirks of her fellow Death Eaters as she left. She turned around, and glared at them as icily as she could, their smiles quickly fading, general demeanours becoming uncomfortable. Proudly lifting her chin, she apparated back to her home.

* * *

Standing in her bathroom, Bellatrix was attempting to clean some of the cuts she sustained earlier, although some proved to be much more agonising than other, such as the long gash on her abdomen. Honestly, usually she wasn't affected by the hurt that she was made to go through, this wasn't the first time that she had been punished, she had been reprimanded in the past for being too outspoken, and not knowing her place, but this particular incident had struck a sore chord in Bellatrix. _"Why do I put myself through this?" _she thought to herself, _"I gain nothing from it but pain."_ She knew that the majority of her cuts would fade away, and the only scars would be mental, however she was angered that there would forever be a physical reminder of her error, the line on her stomach would not disappear. For one thing, Bellatrix prided herself in her beauty, she knew that she could entice people with a single glance, it was a big part of her strategy when it came to her killings. Her victims, which tended to be men, did not think that a 'pretty thing' like her would be able to murder with such viciousness, and be so thorough in her techniques. One particular execution, her first one, stood out in her mind:

_She had been instructed by The Dark Lord to murder a specific man. He himself did not have any knowledge that wizards existed, however he was part of a group that included a Muggleborn wizard, and Voldemort wished to cause as much pain as possible by killing all of the known friends of this wizard, as a warning. It somewhat baffled Bellatrix that The Dark Lord did not want to just kill the wizard, it would be much more simple and quick, however she had learnt not to question him. _

_Arriving outside the house, late at night, she knocked on the door, and put on her chosen persona. Once the door was opened, she began her fun, looking at the man and acting out her character_

_"Please help me." she said, bursting into fake tears, making her act more convincing, and looked at the man with wide, doe eyes. _

_"Oh, please don't cry, come inside, it's dark and getting cold." he replied, ushering her inside. He directed her to the kitchen, the room closest to the front door, and sat her down in a chair, crouching in front of her. "What's wrong?"_

_Bellatrix sniffed, and wiped her eye. "I've lost everything, everything I had and wanted is gone." she paused for effect, "I don't even know why I came here, I don't know you, you don't know me, you don't care." She stood up and turned to leave the room, but she felt a hand grab her arm and hold her back. She grinned, knowing her plan had worked, and looked back, switching back to her previous role, her lip quivering. _

_The man looked at her, slightly confused by what had gone on in the last 10 minutes, and said, "I care, I'm sure that I can help you." He tilted his head to one side, taking in the beauty of the woman in front of him, _

_Smiling at him, she sighed "Yes, you can." And she leant forward, covering his mouth with her own, kissing him as hard as she could, distracting him as she pulled out her wand, wordlessly casting a 'Full Body-Bind Curse' leaving him paralysed on the floor, his eyes darting backwards and forwards in fear. He tried to call out, only to discover that his lips were stuck together, and could only watch as she casted various painful curses on him, causing his body to feel as if it was on fire, blood pouring from his body, and he had no control over it, only being able to let the tears stream down his face. Just as he thought it had ended, she drew a knife from her right boot, and brought it up to his left forearm. She carved a love heart into his skin, putting as much pressure on his arm as she could, watching the blood run from his body, staining her fingers red, painting the knife. As she finished the heart, she added her own mark to it, the letter 'B' in the middle of it, taking credit for her handiwork. Smiling almost insanely, she ran her right index finger tenderly along the cheek of her victim, bruised from the after effects of the curses, and kissed him one last time on the lips, revelling in the metallic taste of blood, before looking at him with all the disgust she could conjure, shouting "Avada Kedavra!", watching the green beam of light shoot from her wand, striking him in the heart, killing him. Silently, she slipped out of the house, and apparated to Riddle Manor, to confirm that the Muggle had been killed. _

She had always relied on her looks from that day on, as she knew that they would guide her to what she wanted. And this one scar, that wouldn't even be seen by many people, hindered her perception of perfection, and that infuriated her, especially as it had not been self inflicted. She looked into the mirror, and stared at her reflection. Her face was bruised from where it had been flung into the wall, her eyes red and puffy from where tears had fallen, her chest and the rest of her body had various small cuts, all stinging, and then there was the deeper, elongated gash along the lower section of her abdomen, which throbbed more than all of the other injuries put together. Casting several basic healing charms on herself, she ran herself a bath, feeling a necessity to clean the dried blood from her body. She whimpered, a very un-Bellatrix thing to do, as she felt the hot water touch her wounds, making her feel like she was being stung all over her body. She sat back, and let the tears fall freely from her eyes. She was disappointed in herself, she felt like she had betrayed and had been betrayed, and that she had managed to abandon herself, she isolated everyone around her, and yet she had found someone, someone that didn't know of her past, couldn't judge her, and she had run away. She felt frustrated at how she had been controlled by someone else for such a long time, something that she felt she had strived to never fall into, however she was a hypocrite, her every move was being directed and judged. But she couldn't escape it, or could she? There, in her bathroom, Bellatrix sat up, and realised that it was her life. Her choice. She could escape, and there was only one place that she could go to.

* * *

**Please review!  
And thank you to Emerald Ashes for your review, it was nice to hear some feedback, I am grateful for everything that you wrote, and that you gave constructive criticism. I'm trying to improve the story telling/showing side to this story, so hopefully as this goes on, the writing and structure will improve!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Memories, New and Old

Today was the day that marked the three year anniversary of her death. Reluctantly, Daniel opened his eyes, and allowed his mind to wander through old memories, filling him with a nostalgic sense of happiness, however it was soon replaced with frustration and anger, and an overwhelming sad sensation. He missed his best friend, more than he could describe, and he had vowed that he would never give up searching for the reason for her death.

Scarlett, a young, dark haired, vivacious woman was murdered in her parents' home, and the killer had never been caught. Police had declared it a cold case, there were no leads nor was there any evidence pointing to a culprit, and to many people it was nothing but another tragic loss of a life that had never really begun. Daniel had been the one to clarify that it had been Scarlett killed, as her body was physically unidentifiable, due to the manner in which she had been murdered. She had been visiting her childhood home, as only days before her parents had also been mysteriously attacked, although this only resulted in them going clinically insane, and had been sectioned in the local psychiatric hospital. As the home was in a remote, countryside area, and she had no other siblings, Scarlett had been alone at the time of her death, so no one was there to hear her screams, no one could try and save her. She died alone. The house was sent on fire, and the intensity of the fire seemed to double every second, spreading throughout the entire building in less than 1 minute. With no way of escaping, Scarlett burnt to death, her flesh and bones becoming nothing but a pile of ash, insignificant among the rest of the incinerated objects in the house. Daniel had never truly gotten over her death, and he didn't think he ever would.

He pulled on his clothes, a suit, as he would be heading to work afterwards, but he did not leave the house and travel his normal route to the building he worked at, as today he would be making a detour, he had more important things to do first.

* * *

Before he reached his destination, he stopped at a florist, placing the same order on the same day he had done for the last 3 years. About 10 minutes later, he had arrived at the graveyard. He walked to the tombstone, and let his eyes sink into what was only left of his best friend.

_**'In loving memory of Scarlett Absal.**_

_**1950 - 1978**_

_**Her spirit lives on in those who loved her.'**_

He placed down the bouquet of flowers, purple lilies, as they had been her favourite, with one single scarlet poppy, to personalise them. He sat down in front of the tomb stone, and kept his silence for a little while, before speaking to her,

"Hey, well it's me, sorry to disappoint you, no one special today. I brought you some flowers, I thought that you'd like them, you always used to fill the house with them, making me sneeze every time I walked into the hallway. I'd never complain if you did it now, I promise. Three years huh? Three years. I'm still looking for them Scarlett, I'll find them, I'll find them... Yes I know you would tell me to let it go and move on, you were never one to dwell on the past, but I can't, I just - I just can't. If it makes you feel better, I've become a better lawyer now, because now I know where to look for clues and stuff, it's like I'm from CSI or something." He trailed off, pausing as if he was expecting a reply.

"I've been to the hospital where your parents are, they're still unwell, but I did see a tiny bit of expression in your mother's eye when I was in last, so that's an improvement. Although, your mother was never one to hold back, so seeing her so still and quiet really does take some getting used to. I'm sorry, that was insensitive, I... I... I just don't know how to deal with anything anymore, not without you. I guess I needed you more than you needed me." He let the tears fall freely down his face, not making any effort to mask his emotion.

"I miss you Scarlett." He choked out, "I miss you so much. I need you, why did you have to leave? We had so much left to do, and now that's gone. You're gone." Continuing to let the tears cascade down his cheeks, dripping onto his shirt, he leant his forehead against the tip of the tomb stone, and remained that way for a little while.

Leaning back again, he said,

"I need something Scarlett. I need someone, without you I have no one. If you can hear me, please send me something. Whatever, whoever, I don't care." Swallowing the ever present lump in his throat, he whispered one last time,

"I miss you."

With one last glance at the name of his best friend, he rose and left the graveyard, and headed about his day as if it was any other normal day, the powerful stride within his step returning, all previous emotion masked with an expression-less façade.

* * *

Eight hours later, Daniel was back in his home, his study to be in fact, although it was such a small room it could be considered a cupboard, and he was attempting to build up information for his most recent fraud case, however he was becoming increasingly distracted by his other project, a project that had been ongoing for 3 years.

Giving in to his urges to change the subject, he went over to the drawer that held all of the report he had gathered over the last few years regarding Scarlett's death. He had narrowed down the time, and obviously the place of the murder and the cause of death, however the problem that had been plaguing him for the entire 3 years is exactly how the fire was started, and who was the murderer. From what he knew, the fire was not started by matches or an explosion, nor a lighter, neither was it arson, as there had been no traces or supported evidence of these possible conclusions. He knew that the fire had to have come from somewhere, as well as the person who started it. There had been no fingerprints or footprints that had been registered to anyone known in the databases, and nothing could be traced back. Just like the formal investigation, Daniel was at a dead end, and couldn't seem to get past it. Just as his frustration was growing, there was a knock at the door.

He opened the door, and was shocked at what he discovered. Not only was it Bella standing in front of him, but she was covered in cuts and bruises, although it looked as if she had attempted to fix them.

"Bella! How did this happen to you?!" Daniel exclaimed, worry lacing his voice, as he took her arms and lead her into his house, slamming the door shut with his foot.

"It's a long story." Bellatrix sighed, unsure of how she was going to come up with a believable story, as she couldn't tell him the true reason.

"I have time Bella, and surely whoever did this to you needs to have their head looked at! Who did this to you?" Daniel replied, demanding to be told the truth.

"Let's just say that I angered someone, and they weren't very happy with me." Bellatrix said quietly, managing not to give too much away without telling a downright lie.

"Well I'm not very happy with them! Who thinks they have the right to do that to anyone? Bella, please tell me who did this."

"I can't." Bellatrix whispered, becoming somewhat light headed from what had happened in the last 24 hours, as well as the mental fatigue from not telling Daniel the truth.

Seeing that she was slightly unsteady on her feet, Daniel lead her to the sofa in his living room, and heard her hiss in pain as she sat down.

"Bella, how hurt are you? And where are you hurt? I can see your face and your hands, but I'm pretty sure that isn't the whole story."

"I'll be fine, stop worrying, I just have one stupid little cut that hurts a tiny bit more than the rest." Bellatrix replied, not wishing to be tarnished with the 'damsel in distress' card.

"Where is it? Show me."

Sighing, Bellatrix gave in, "It's on my stomach, and unless I take off my dress I can't show you, and I don't want you getting a free look at my chest, as well as everything else." Despite being weaker, she was not going to lose her pride along with her control.

Taking her hands in his, he stared into her eyes and said as sincerely as possible, "Bella I am not like that. You are hurt and I only want to help you. You came here so you obviously wanted me to do something, otherwise you wouldn't have come. Please stop being so stubborn and let me help you."

Recognising his sincerity, she sighed and stood up to remove her dress. Slightly whimpering as she pulled the dress over her head, she revealed the entire depth of her injuries that she had hidden before. Daniel's eyes widened and his jaw fell slightly open at the way the state of her body had been left, various cuts and bruises painting her skin, standing out against the cool porcelain shade that was the base, and then there was the worst one. The line that ran along her abdomen was deep and the wound was still open, no wonder it was causing her pain.

"B-Bella, you need to see a doctor, you can't leave _that_." He said, gesturing to that particular spot.

She remained quiet for a while, as she racked her brains to try and recall some of the information she had learnt from her Muggle Studies lessons at school, soon remembering that doctors were the same as healers. On one hand she knew that neither her or Daniel could sew up the wound, and she did want to gain some relief from the pain she was suffering, yet on the other hand she hated showing weakness, as well as the fact that doctors would ask questions as to how she obtained the injuries, and she didn't want to try and explain again.

"I'll be fine, I just need to get some rest and -" She didn't manage to finish her sentence as a spell of dizziness overcame her and she fell forward, only to be caught by Daniel. He placed her back down on the sofa, and went to go and fetch some looser clothes so that the fabric wouldn't stick to the wounds.

He returned minutes later carrying one of his shirts and a pair of old jogging bottoms, and instructed her to put them on. At first she refused, and wrinkled her nose at the sight of the clothing, until he firmly reminded her of what had just happened.

"Bella, you nearly fainted on top of me. You are not in charge anymore, and as soon as you have those clothes on, I am taking you to A&E, you can continue you try and convince yourself that you're fine, but I know you're not. Now please, do as you're told!"

* * *

Half an hour later, Bellatrix was being seen by one of the doctors at King's College Hospital. Daniel had come with her into the treating room, as he didn't trust her not to sneak away an continue to protest how 'fine' she was. The doctor had examined all of her cuts, before deciding that the one on her abdomen would need stitches.

"So, how did this happen?" The doctor asked.

"It's a long story." Bellatrix repeated half-heartedly, even more reluctant to reveal everything to this stranger.

"Oh I see." he replied, eyes shifting to Daniel and then back to Bellatrix again. Sensing where he was going with his theory, Bellatrix took the opportunity to set him straight.

"It had nothing to with him, don't even make any assumptions as I can guarantee that they aren't true." She snarled, a dislike for the doctor emerging from her. "He has done nothing but help me." She clarified.

Just as the doctor was about to begin stitching up the wound, Daniel took Bellatrix's hand. As it took her by surprise, she inhaled quickly, before regaining composure.

"It was just for reassurance, and sometimes these hurt, you know, so I thought you might like it." He said, worried that he'd done something wrong.

She smiled softly at him, fully appreciating how lucky she was to have been able to come to him for help. "Thank you." She said.

A few uncomfortable minutes later and the whole procedure was over. The doctor had given Bellatrix some pain relief tablets for her injuries, and had instructed her to rest. "I'll make sure she does." Daniel said.

* * *

They rode home in a comfortable silence, and it took a while for Daniel to realise that Bella had fallen asleep, presumably tired from everything that had gone on that day, a small snore alerting him. As they pulled up outside his house, it became apparent that she was not going to be waking up any time soon, and he didn't have the heart to wake her up himself, so he carried her from the car to the house. She was very light, so it was no problem for Daniel anyway. Knowing that it would be a while until she woke up, and it was late anyway, he placed her in his spare room, the room that used to belong to Scarlett. Leaving the painkillers and a glass of water by her bed, he pulled the covers over her and stood back, watching her for just a minute.

_'She looks so peaceful when she sleeps.'_ He thought, _'Much less stubborn and hard to please._' He smiled to himself, and then realised that if she woke up and saw him staring at her, she would most likely hurt him, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As he got into bed himself, he suddenly felt exhausted, the day's events catching up with him, and he closed his eyes, allowing himself relief from all the emotions he had been through in one day. If anyone had seen him, they would have thought that he was sleeping with a smile on his face.

* * *

**Reviews? I tried to make this chapter longer, as I won't be updating for at least another two weeks, because I'll be on holiday and there isn't any internet there. The whole story has now been planned out, so hopefully the main plot of the story will become clearer and will add depth to the characters, especially Daniel. There is more to him than meets the eye, so please be patient, I don't want to rush the story otherwise that will make it much less believable, which I obviously don't want to do. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Decisions

**I've got internet again! Call this a filler chapter or whatever, but I need to explain certain things otherwise parts of the story later on will not make any sense. **

**Sections written in italics are to signify the past tense, just to clarify.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

One week later, sitting in the living room, Daniel was at work and Bellatrix was reflecting upon the events of the last 7 days. She still had not returned home, not that she hadn't tried to. The morning after she had arrived at Daniel's house she was prepared to leave, thanking him for his care and hospitality, until he stopped her,

_"Bella, do you really think it's wise for you to return home so soon? What if the person that hurt you comes back for more? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you." he said._

_Tilting her head to one side, she replied, "I can't stay here any longer, it isn't fair to you, besides, we don't really know each other that well, and if he does come back, I will be fine."_

_"So it's a man! Bella you are not going home yet. I don't care how strong you think you are, you have already been overpowered by him, and I am not letting him hurt you again so quickly. Bella, you are staying whether you like it or not." he stated, trying to sound forceful, otherwise he knew that she wouldn't listen._

_Inwardly kicking herself for revealing more about Voldemort, 'I'm really losing my touch here' she thought, incredibly annoyed with herself. Sighing, she said, rather half heartedly "Fine, I'll stay for a while longer, even it is only to keep you happy."_

_Smiling, he steered her away from the door, and back to the kitchen, making them both a cup of tea before he left for work. He was surprised, he didn't expect her to give in that easily, but he didn't care, he did enjoy her company after all. She was rather entertaining._

Since then, she had discovered that he was a lawyer, something that was highly regarded in the Muggle world, at least that was what she said read in one of the books she had found. They were both the same age, and their shared love for red wine was also uncovered, considering the copious amount of bottles that had been drunk since she arrived one week ago. One night, a rather large amount of alcohol had been consumed, so a rather tipsy Daniel tried to get more information out of an equally tipsy Bellatrix.

_"So, go on then, tell me about your family, I want to know more about you. And you have to tell me, that's the BIG rule of the game." he said, slightly slurring a couple of words, other than that he was rather good at masking that he was in fact, quite drunk._

_With a twinkle in her eye, she shifted her position on the sofa so she was looking directly at him, and said,_

_"So we're playing a game? Ok then, I like games, I'll play." Bellatrix had been taught by her parents that she was never to show how drunk she was, so she could mask her slurs without even trying, it came almost like a second nature. "There were 5 of us in my family. My parents, my two sisters and I. I'm the oldest, and then there is Andy and then Cissa. Myself and Andy sort of look similar, her hair is lighter though, more of a boring brown, but Cissa is completely different, she has really, really, really blonde hair. Really blonde Daniel, really blonde. Kind of ironic, considering her surname is Black. She doesn't look like us, we look like our father, but she's identical to my mother. She was the favourite, my parents adored her, especially our mother, and they didn't hide that fact either. They didn't acknowledge Andy, especially after she left school. See, she married someone that my parents really didn't like, and she wasn't supposed to marry him, that wasn't what they planned, so they disowned her. We had to as well, but I don't hate her, I actually guess I have more in common with her than I thought, my parents would have killed me if they knew I was with someone like you." Daniel's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose at that, until Bella reassurred him. "Don't worry, they just have big opinions on certain people, and they think everyone else should as well. Anyway, as I was growing up, I was ignored a lot of the time, my parents only really used me for my intelligence, I was quite good at school, and they used that to boast to other people we knew. Cissa was their trophy daughter, she was very attractive, but most of all she did everything they said, she was like their pet. They were so happy when she married, in their eyes she found the perfect husband, I personally can't stand him, he's extremely annoying, but I still love my sister. I love both of my sisters, even if I don't see them very often, or at all in fact. They both have children now, I think Andy has a daughter, although I've never met her, and Cissa has a son, who I have met once or twice, he looks exactly like his father, such a shame. It's funny, in your head you think that when you're the oldest you'll get married and have children first, but I'm the oldest and I haven't done either. Oh well, maybe I'm not supposed to. Yet, at least. I think I'd like to though, what about you? I've done enough talking, and as it's YOUR game, and it's your turn." she said, prompting his response._

They spent the rest of that evening talking about family, marriage, children, their past experiences associated with all three, and how if they did have a family of their own, they would do things different to the way their parents had done. They both had issues that they had not yet dealt with properly, as they had never had anyone to help them. Now it appeared that they did.

* * *

Daniel, unlike Bellatrix, hadn't been the direct victim to the issues that now plagued him, he had been a witness. From the age of 5, his father became abusive, an alcoholic that would arrive home, high on drugs and alcohol that would send him so into a craze that he would abuse his wife, Daniel's mother. His father would disappear for days on end, disappearing without any notice, leaving his family behind. He didn't have any siblings, so Daniel took it upon himself to help and care for his mother, even though he was still a child himself, and needed someone to look after him. Sometimes Daniel would see the abuse happen, he would hide behind the door as his father kicked his mother, slamming her head against the wall. There were other times when he couldn't see, his father would lock the door to the bedroom and rape his mother multiple times, and although Daniel was too young to understand what was happening, he knew it wasn't right, and from then on vowed to protect his mother. At 7 years old, he stood in front of his mother as his father approached her, trying to block her from getting hurt, but his father simply tossed him aside like a piece of rubbish. His father finally left when he was 11, but the damage was done, his mother was a broken woman and he had a broken childhood, living in a broken home. They managed together, and Daniel had always had an outstanding respect for women, especially mothers. He was an intelligent boy, and went through school wanting to do his best, to make his mother proud. He achieved high grades, and then went on to study a law degree, which is where he met Scarlett, whilst he was travelling to university. Of course he had other friends, men and women, but she was special, different to everyone else, and she had left a huge hole in his heart that has yet to have been filled.

Bellatrix, having never been the favourite, the daughter that should have been the first son, the heir to the Black family, always felt a disappointment, and knew that she was, but yet still tried to please her parents, at least until she left Hogwarts. As a child she was never kissed or hugged by her parents, and whatever love they had for their daughter seemed to disappear as soon as she left for school. She remembered standing on the platform, waiting to get on the train, she turned to her parents and all they did was look her up and down, and said "Do not let the family down. Remember our reputation." They then left their eldest daughter, aged 11, alone in the train station, and didn't see her until the following summer. Bellatrix didn't see the point in coming home for Christmas, the only person that she really missed was Andromeda, but they wrote letters to each other, and that had to suffice for the time being. She had never spoken ill of her parents, out of respect, despite the little respect they had for her, especially when it came to her future. She didn't go willingly into the Death Eaters, nor did she actively choose to support Voldemort and dedicate her life to following him. The summer after the end of her 7th year, she was at home and was about to begin training as an auror. Although she was a woman, and was not physically threatening, there was a strong power in her spell casting, and was able to disarm an opponent without much effort at all. The job seemed perfect for her, and it would also give her an excuse to get away from her parents. It seemed like she had it all planned out, until her father stopped her in her tracks.

_"Bellatrix, I have a great opportunity for you, and I am sure you will agree to the terms." Cygnus said, his deep voice filling the room. "I have been approached by a man, a man with great promises and goals, and he has convinced me to hand you over to his services."_

_"Who is this man? Will I have heard of him?" Bellatrix replied, wary of how this type of situation always seemed to rapidly deteriorate._

_"He was once a student at Hogwarts, and is older than you, wiser than you, and he plans a revolution. A revolution that you will be part of. He plans to rid the Wizarding world of all mudblood wizards and half blood scum, so that the authority is given back to us, the rightful purebloods. This is what we have dreamt of Bellatrix, and I know that you will do as he and I say."_

_"No." she said._

_"What did you say? No?! How dare you! You are lucky to have been given this chance, you ungrateful brat! You will do as I say, anyway you have no choice, you have already been promised to him."_

_"No! I am not your pet, and I have the right to choose my own future. Stop controlling me! I am not taking part in anything to do with this 'revolution', and how dare you confirm my place to him without consulting me first! Who do you think you are?!"_

_"I am your father and you will do as I say!" Cygnus bellowed, and with that his fist made contact with her cheek, and continued to do so all over her body for the remainder of the hour, until he had hit her so many times she had passed out. He left her, an unconscious ball on the floor, and locked the door behind him, placing as many security charms as possible around her room, to make sure that she couldn't escape. He starved her until she finally gave in and agreed to join Voldemort._

She couldn't deny that she did agree with some of the things he said, muggles had somewhat infiltrated the Magical world, and changed laws and rules, yet that hadn't happened in the Muggle world. Some of the muggleborns she had come across during her time at Hogwarts had been rather arrogant and incredibly pleased with themselves, as if they had been 'chosen' and were therefore superior to others. She also of course had some previous prejudices due to her upbringing, although up until that point they hadn't been acted upon. Furthermore, Bellatrix also came to the realisation that this would give her power, power that she hadn't ever experienced before, and the idea thrilled her. Over time, she became much more drawn in by Voldemort, she wasn't scared of him, but she knew that he was dangerous, and that interested her, and as days turned into years, the Death Eater routine that she began to follow became more of a habit than a novelty, thus becoming a second nature.

Up until recently she had become so used to fulfilling Voldemort's tasks she had stopped questioning them, the motives didn't seem important, the tasks were simply her missions and she set out to complete them. However, in the last year Bellatrix had become disenchanted with the whole Death Eater regime, attacks seemed random and didn't present any explanation, and the 'revolution' she had been told about at the beginning seemed yet to have happened, which was frustrating, considering how long it had been sinced she had joined, or been forced into, the movement. Also, there had been talks of attacking a house in Godric's Hollow, in order to kill a child. A child? Not even 2 years old? The plan seemed ridiculous to her, as well as being against her morals. As hypocritical as it may sound, Bellatrix refused to kill children, whether that was due to a maternal instinct or simple reasoning, that was where she drew the line. In her mind, murdering adults appeared less barbaric, because at least they had lived and had some sort of a life, whereas young children had not, and nearly 100% of the time hadn't done anything to deserve murder to be inflicted upon them, and she stuck to that rule. Of course during the early days she had been punished for this, however over time Voldemort learned that no matter how many times he hurt her, she would not change her mind, so he just instructed other Death Eaters to fulfill his wishes, as it was just an easier way to get what he wanted. Bellatrix was still loyal to the Dark Lord, even though she had become tired with the current situation she hadn't 'seen the light', but he wasn't her main priority. Especially at the moment.

* * *

Since meeting Daniel, her attitudes towards ordinary muggles had changed, they weren't uncaring nor were they inhospitable and evil, as Voldemort had made them out to be, and so therefore every day she was becoming much less convinced by the 'revolution' and its purpose.

During the time she had spent with Daniel, they had grown much closer, learning things about each other, as well as about themselves. At the weekend, as Daniel wasn't at work, he had taken her shopping, as she didn't have any of her own clothes apart from the dress that she had arrived in, and she was becoming increasingly intolerable of the clothes he had given to her, as well as the fact that he felt she needed to leave the house, she hadn't ventured outside since they arrived back from the hospital, but he wasn't going to let her go alone, just in case something happened, or she managed to escape away from him. They had left for the local shopping centre, travelling by car, something that seemed to fascinate Bellatrix, although Daniel didn't quite understand why. The two went in and out of every shop, but Bellatrix couldn't find anything that she liked. She was used to a certain style of robes and dresses, so to then be presented with muggle clothes was quite a shock to the system, and she didn't like any of them.

_Holding up a pink floral blouse, Daniel turned to her, "Couldn't you just try this on? It seems alright to me."_

_"There is no way I am wearing that. Honestly who would even try to make that work! I'm sorry but no, it's not happening." Bellatrix replied._

_Sighing in frustration, Daniel left her by herself and went over to the men's section of the shop, choosing to at least find something for himself, he wasn't going to waste a day shopping for nothing. In the end Bellatrix found a pair of jeans and three tops which weren't too untasteful, and she returned to him._

_"Oh so you did find something. Wasn't that hard, was it?" Daniel said sarcastically._

_Scowling at him, Bellatrix said, "They'll do, can we just pay now?"_

_They made their way to pay, before Bellatrix realised that she wouldn't be able to pay with the galleons she had in her small drawstring purse she always kept with her, for emergencies._

_"Erm Daniel, I don't have any money to pay for these." Bellatrix said, looking from the items of clothing she had in her hands to him._

_"I know. That's why I'm paying." he replied._

_"What? I can't let you do that, they aren't yours to pay for." she said._

_"I really don't mind, I'm happy to buy them for you. And if you really don't want me to pay for them, I'm sure we can go home and you can go on wearing my old clothes." Daniel said to her._

_Realising that she really didn't have any choice, she said, "Fine then." And then she handed her clothes over to him. He might as well carry the clothes as well as pay for them._

_A few shops later they were standing in their last destination, a women's boutique, and Bellatrix was currently trying on a dress in the changing room._

_"Daniel?" Bellatrix called out._

_Hearing his name, he wandered down to where she had her head poked out of the curtain._

_"Would you be able to do this up for me please?" she said, a red tinge coming to her cheeks, embarrassed to be asking the question._

_"Of course I can." he replied._

_The dress was black, naturally, and had a zip running from the base of her back to just below her neck. It was made of a clingy material and fell to just below her knees. It wasn't anything spectactular, but it suited her and looked as if it had been made for her. As he did up the zip, they both looked at their reflection at the mirror. Neither of them said anything, they stood there and took in the image in front of them. They looked good together, and their different appearances complimented each other, making them sort of fit together, like two jigsaw pieces._

_"Are you going to get it?" said Daniel, breaking the silence._

_"I'm not sure, it's quite expensive, although I do like it, a lot." she said._

_"Well then we're buying it. If you want you can think of it as a gift from me, to say thank you for keeping me company this last week." he said, and he wasn't joking, he truly had enjoyed having someone else around all the time, like how it used to be until 3 years ago. With that he unzipped the dress again and left her alone in the changing room._

_As they were paying, the girl behind the checkout interrupted, or jerked, them out of their respective thoughts,_

_"So how long have you been together then?" she said, glancing between the two of them._

_"Oh, we're not together actually, we're just, erm..." Daniel said._

_"Special friends." Bellatrix finished, somewhat awkwardly._

_"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were a couple, you looked like you were." The cashier replied._

_They finished paying in silence, shuffling their feet, unsure of how to start another conversation without it ending in embarrassment. Once they had finished, Daniel handed the bag to Bellatrix,_

_"I may have been paying but you're still carrying the bags." he said._

_As they walked to the car they were both wrapped up in their own minds about what had happened in the boutique._

_'Oh that was so awkward. It was going considerably well until she said that. We look like a couple? It's not like I'm snogging her face off. She did look good in that dress though. Oh God.' Daniel thought._

_'Merlin that was embarrassing. The whole thing. He had to do up my dress and that stupid girl made it even worse, bloody muggle. We weren't acting like a couple were we? No, we weren't. At least I don't think we were.' she thought, becoming more embarrassed and flustered as she went over the recent events again in her head._

_They were putting the bags into the boot of the car, ironically Daniel had ended up buying more clothes than Bellatrix, when she realised that she hadn't thanked him properly, since he had bought everything and hadn't seemed too bothered by the cost of it, after all Bellatrix did have expensive taste._

_Turning to him she said, "Thank you, for everything. I honestly don't know what I would have done without you, and you really are very... special." she said, not just meaning to thank him for the clothes, but for taking her in, helping her and giving her someone to trust. She then leant over to kiss him on the cheek, something she had done more than once in the past, but this time she added a little extra pressure into it, ensuring that her gratitude came through the gesture._

* * *

Smiling at the memory, Bellatrix got up and decided to have a proper look around the house. Despite having been there for one week, she hadn't seen all of the rooms, she hadn't been into Daniel's room, out of respect, nor had she been into his study. Choosing that going into the study wouldn't invade his privacy too much, she went in and studied her surroundings. There were many books on the shelves, primarily law books, piles of paper and folders belonging to old cases, and pens with lids discarded around the room. She saw on his desk that there were two photographs, one of him with who she assumed was his mother, and another with a girl who looked around her age. She knew that he didn't have any siblings, so she couldn't have been his sister, and then she remembered Daniel mentioning that his best friend had died a few years ago, so she presumed that this must have been her. She spent a while looking at the photo, noting how he looked truly happy, he had a glint in his eyes that wasn't there now, but what intrigued her the most is that the girl seemed vaguely familiar. Putting the photograph down, she sat on his chair and remained there, trying to work out where she knew this girl from, until she noticed a piece of paper poking out from a drawer under his desk. Opening the drawer to straighten it out so it wouldn't protrude anymore, she found something she hadn't expected. Daniel had never gone into detail into how his best friend died, and now she knew why. Pages and pages of notes, photographs and theories surrounding her death were visible and available to Bellatrix, and she couldn't help but read them. As she processed more and more information, the identity of the girl came flooding back to her. Her name was Scarlett, she couldn't recall her surname, and she was in her year at Hogwarts. A Ravenclaw, and as Bellatrix was in Slytherin, they had shared various classes with each other. They had never spoken, as she was a muggleborn, and Bellatrix really only associated herself with purebloods, but she did remember her, she was a true Ravenclaw, there was no question as to why she was sorted into her house, always knowing the answer to questions. Bellatrix then began to read into the details of her death, and more recent memories appeared.

_"I have called you here as I require your assistance." Voldemort said, addressing his Death Eaters. "There is a witch, a mudblood, who thinks she can outwit me. What do we do with these traitors, Peter?" he continued._

_"K-k-kill them my Lord." Pettigrew replied, stuttering his way through the sentence._

_Bellatrix inwardly rolled her eyes, she'd never liked Peter, a traitor to his friends who was petrified of Voldemort, yet followed him like a lost puppy. She didn't understand why he'd become a Death Eater, or how for that matter._

_"Exactly, and that is what I will do. However, to truly make her suffer, I wish to kill her differently with as much pain as possible, how I should do this is the question I put to you all." Voldemort said._

_"Torture her repeatedly and then cast the killing curse my Lord?" Lucius suggested._

_"I said differently Lucius, you fool! Are you all that pathetic that you cannot come up with a painful death?" Voldemort hissed, casting a torture curse on Bellatrix's brother in law._

_"Fiendfyre could work." Bellatrix mumbled, slightly glancing to the jerking form of Lucius, who was currently wriggling around on the floor._

_"CRUCIO! When you speak to me you will speak loud and with respect!" Voldemort commanded, sending fear down all of the Death Eaters' spines._

_After recovering from the curse, still slightly out of breath, Bellatrix said,_

_"My lord, what about fiendfyre? It has not been used recently, and would provide a painful death."_

_"Yes, that would work. I will cast the spell myself, I want to feel her death. We will attack tomorrow evening, when she least expects it." Voldemort said._

_The next day, in the darkness, Voldemort emerged from the trees, and cast the Fiendfyre spell upon the home that had held Scarlett. The flames were slow to begin but rapidly grew high, high above where the chimney of the house used to be, reducing everything to ashes. Removing all traces from the surroundings, Voldemort and his followers apparated back to the headquarters, pleased with how well the evening's events had gone._

Putting everything back into the drawer and closing it, Bellatrix looked back to the photo on the desk. Suddenly consumed with guilt, not just for Scarlett, but for Daniel as well. She had lost her life, yet Daniel had lost his best friend. He didn't know about this other side to his former best friend, he had no idea of the Wizarding world and the dangers it can present. That was the moment when Bellatrix realised how wrong this 'revolution' was. She had tortured and killed people, and never questioned why she was doing it. She had cut their throats, placed them under torture curses, making them bite their tongue so hard that they bit through it, causing them to suffocate themselves, and then placing the killing curse on them to ensure that they were dead. She had done this for a man who hadn't completed the promises he had made so many years earlier. She had done this without feeling any guilt, remorse or stopping to think about who would be left behind. She had reached her tipping point, and had come to the conclusion that she couldn't go on like this. It had to change. She had to change. But before this, she needed to talk to Daniel.

* * *

A few hours later, after dinner, they were sitting on the sofa in silence, Daniel was reading and Bellatrix was picking a loose thread from her shirt. Knowing that she needed to speak to him, she cleared her throat and faced him.

"Daniel, tell me about your best friend." she said, wishing to tackle the subject straight away.

For the next hour, Daniel described what she was like, how close they were and how they met. It was a chance meeting actually, they had ended up sitting together on a train to Manchester around 9 years ago and from then on had become incredibly close. Like the brother and sister neither of them had ever had. They had bought a house together, the house that he now lived alone in, and up until 3 years ago he had never imagined his life without her. He told Bellatrix how her death had affected him, and how he was determined to find out who killed her and why, so her death wouldn't be in vain. By the end of the hour both Daniel and Bellatrix were crying, the former due to the grief he still had for his friend, and the latter partly due to guilt from her part in Scarlett's murder, but mainly in sympathy, for Daniel. In essence, he had lost his best friend, and had lost part of himself, and he had never got over her death. He never would, nor would he understand why it happened.

In a motion rather unlike Bellatrix, she motioned him over to her, "Come here." she said softly, ushering him in for a hug. She never used physical affection as a form of comfort, in fact she never really comforted anyone, as she had never been truly comforted ever, but she knew he needed a shoulder to cry on. They stayed in their cuddled position for a while, until somehow Bellatrix had slid down lower than Daniel's head, and looked up at him. He looked down at her, and they realised what they wanted. Their lips touched each others, and they both felt something they had never felt before. Love. They kissed each other over and over, physically expressing their desire for each other, before falling asleep right there, on the sofa, linked together, her head on his chest, his arms around her waist. Not only had they fallen asleep, they had fallen in love.

* * *

**Whether you think that Bellatrix is OOC, the Bellatrix written in the books has gone through things that will not happen to 'my' Bellatrix, as some of her circumstances have drastically changed, so therefore her future will change as a result. **

**I'm going back and reading through the earlier chapters so that I can edit them, as I think some bits need improving.**

**Please review!**


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